Daily Reflections
Matthew 15:29-37
In the feeding of the four thousand we see something of Jesus and his concern for us. Many people in our age, even many Christians, are uncomfortable with the idea of miracles, and try to explain away the miracles in the Gospels. However, both scripture and the teaching of the Church are clear that Jesus did work miracles, and the evangelist says clearly that Jesus multiplied the food to feed four thousand people.
Jesus had been teaching the people before this miracle, so we can see that he was concerned with both their spiritual and physical needs. The miracle sprang from his compassion for the crowds, and we can be sure he has the same concern for us. But the feeding of the multitude has a deeper meaning than just giving them bread – it symbolizes Jesus giving himself to feed us in the Eucharist, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: ‘The miracles of the multiplication of loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves though his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist’ (CCC 1335).
Today in the West, though we are materially richer than ever before, there is a great spiritual hunger and impoverishment. Many are empty and lonely, but do not know the remedy. Jesus longs to feed all people with himself: the cure for all our neediness and hunger is growing closer to Jesus through prayer, reading scripture and receiving the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist above all that we receive Jesus into ourselves. In this Advent season, when we are eagerly awaiting the coming of the Lord, let us try to receive the sacrament with a new awareness of the wonderful gift it is to us.
The baskets of scraps taken up at the end show that Jesus provided more than enough for the crowd. He longs to pour out abundant life on us if only we see our neediness and turn to him in prayer. We can also see in this miracle a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, when we shall be fed by the Lord for all eternity.
Lord Jesus, you are a compassionate Lord who cares for our needs. This Advent, come to us and feed us with yourself, for you are the only food that can satisfy our hungry hearts.
Isaiah 25:6-10 • Psalm 22(23)
Matthew 15:29-37
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